As the first resident Ambassador of India to Latvia, I am delighted to present the special publication brought out by the ‘Diplomatist Magazine’ on India-Latvia relations, coinciding with the 79th year of Independence Day of India. This timely publication is not only a documentation of celebrating the landmark moment of establishing India’s new resident Mission in Latvia, but also of cherishing the stories that strengthened the relations between the two countries, making the Independence Day celebrations of 15th August 2025 historic and special.
Ties between our two countries are friendly, strong and growing with regular contact through high-level visits by both sides. India and Latvia celebrated 30 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2022. With its growing international stature, India is engaging more actively with the world. Reaching out to the Baltic region and establishing its resident Missions in all three Baltic countries, including in Latvia in 2024, is a step in line with the vision steered by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. The opening of the resident Mission in Riga is intended to bring greater focus on our relations with Latvia. Recent visits of the Foreign Minister of Latvia Her Excellency Baiba Braze to India in March 2025 to participate in Raisina dialogue; visit of the All-Party delegation of Indian Parliamentarians led by Member of Parliament Ms. Kanimozhi Karunanidhi to Latvia in May 2025; and on the economic front opening of the Tech Mahindra in Latvia last year are the testimony of this.
India-Latvia relations on the economic and commercial front are seeing a steady increase with visits and active engagement between the businesspersons and chambers of commerce of the two countries. Latvian businesspersons and leaders have regularly participated in the ‘India, Nordic-Baltic Business Conclave’ hosted in Delhi. Leading Indian companies have their presence in India, and vice versa. People-to-people relations, educational and cultural links, from a key pillar of India and Latvia relations. Latvia is home to over 5000 Indians, with over 3000 students studying in various universities in Latvia. University of Latvia, University of Turiba and Riga Technical University not only host a large number of bright Indian students but also are partnering with the leading Indian Universities and Institutes as IITs. India has hosted many Latvian diplomats in the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme. Several Yoga & Ayurveda enthusiasts and mountaineers from Latvia pay regular visits to learn about and explore incredible Bharat. Baltic Culture Centre, established in 2018 in the Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya (university), Haridwar, is a space introducing Indian culture to the Latvians and Latvian culture to the Indians and promoting cultural exchange.
There is a lot of goodwill amongst the Latvians for the Indians and the Indians for the Latvians. I am confident that with our combined efforts, India-Latvia relations will continue to grow and further strengthen in all verticals – political, commercial, cultural, educational and at the people-to-people level. Towards these efforts, for the significant part played by ‘the Diplomatist’ in actively engaging and promoting relations through their publications, I extend my deepest thanks to Ms. Kanchi Batra, Managing Director of the magazine and her team for bringing out this special publication on India-Latvia relations. I am sure the readers will benefit from it.
Jai Bharat!
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